Hey Lucy Restaurant

I am still in a state of trying to catch up with things in Toronto and one I was most particular to give attention to were seeing my good friends. One of them was Valerie. She has always been a constant dining companion of mine and being gone for a month, I have missed her company. Widely-read, energetic and very articulate, she never fails to peak my interest with the latest book or documentary/movie that has captured her attention. Quality time like that was something I do miss and I looked forward to meeting her this afternoon.

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Wrapping up EyeCandyTO work, it made sense to me to meet up at the Annex. I actually arrived earlier than her and I was bewildered at how many new places have propped up. I don’t remember when was the last time I tried another place at the Annex other than my usual favorite Futures Bakery and Cafe. I spent my time waiting, trying to match the new names with the ratings at Urbanspoon. But before I can make any decision, Valerie arrived. She already has a place in mind and we walked towards Hey Lucy Restaurant. Approaching the restaurant, I immediately liked its façade. I have once confessed a weakness of anything retro. It was of clean lines and was distinct, free of any visual clutter, just the way I like it.

Valerie told me that the restaurant happened to be a pizza joint with a wood-burning oven. Just coming back from Rome, I prayed for thin-crust pizza. The plan B was to order something else if it their pizza was otherwise. This was often my problem when I come back home from a vacation. I am quite guilty of wanting the same experience, the same taste as I have enjoyed to prolong the feeling. Seriously, I have to start climbing out of this stupor of bouncing back and forth memory lane. Do bear with me. I promise that after my Barcelona foodie post (I am still hopelessly curating pictures), I’ll snap out of it :D

We walked in and both Valerie and I decided it was better to sit indoors where it was quiet and cooler. I loved the warm appearance of the interiors, long bar on one side, tin tiles on the ceiling that bore the warm reflections coming from an ornate chandelier and a row of banquet seating completed the dining area. But nothing was more commanding than the very visible focal point of a wood burning oven at the end of room. I had to fight the impulse to run to it and start snapping pictures. After all, I was supposed to be there catch up with Valerie. Valerie first, pictures of the oven for later. If I know Valerie better, she would remind me to do it. LOL. :D

After we were seated, both of us decided to go for the Sausage Supreme. Seeing that the patio was full and the indoors was more than 50% capacity, I half-expected that it would be a wait. It was a pleasant surprise to be wrong on that account as our pizzas arrived right away. I had to smile ear to ear to see a pizza fully loaded with chili-infused Italian sausage, pepperoni and bacon and mushrooms. To give extra kick, they also offered to grate more cheese into my pizza and who was I to refuse more cheese? After snapping a few images, I start to dig in and was pleased that the crust gave me that familiar crunch I so loved with thin-crusted pizzas. The best part was to find that their tomato pesto sauce was thick enough and did not leave the center of the pizza soggy. I saw that it wasn’t only me who was happy with her pizza. Valerie finished her own before I did.

After I finished my meal I impishly asked Valerie a few minutes to take pictures of the oven (I was that impressed with their Gaudi-esque tiled oven). Approaching it, noting that there were too many crews around it, I asked permission to shoot pictures and the request was received cordially. Standing there, I was thinking of how I haven’t seen this restaurant on Urbanspoon’s radar. Going home and reading more information on Urbanspoon, I see that there were many reviews that did not make sense to me. Granted, I can only talk of my own experience and it was one that was most pleasant. A good pizza and dining with a good friend, it was a very good night indeed. :)